#s: crushed olive branch

[hellhunde]

Silly pixel icons for some ocs!

[soracities]

what are your suggestions for starter poetry for people who dont have strong reading/analysis backgrounds

I've answered this a few times so I'm going to compile and expand them all into one post here.

I think if you haven't read much poetry before or aren't sure of your own tastes yet, then poetry anthologies are a great place to start: many of them will have a unifying theme so you can hone in based on a subject that interests you, or pick your way through something more general. I haven't read all of the ones below, but I have read most of them; the rest I came across in my own readings and added to my list either because I like the concept or am familiar with the editor(s) / their work:

Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times (ed. Nick Astley) & Being Alive: The Sequel to Staying Alive (there's two more books in this series, but I'm recommending these two just because it's where I started)

The Rattlebag (ed. Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes)

The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (ed. Ilya Kaminsky & Susan Harris)

The Essential Haiku, Versions of Basho, Buson and Issa (ed. Robert Hass)

A Book of Luminous Things (ed. Czesław Miłosz )

Now and Then: The Poet's Choice Columns by Robert Hass (this may be a good place to start if you're also looking for commentary on the poems themselves)

Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World(ed. Pádraig Ó'Tuama)

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (ed. Kevin Young)

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (ed. Kevin Young)

Lifelines: Letters from Famous People about their Favourite Poems

The following lists are authors I love in one regard or another and is a small mix of different styles / time periods which I think are still fairly accessible regardless of what your reading background is! It's be no means exhaustice but hopefully it gives you even just a small glimpse of the range that's available so you can branch off and explore for yourself if any particular work speaks to you.

But in any case, for individual collections, I would try:

anything by Sara Teasdale

Devotions / Wild Geese / Felicity by Mary Oliver

Selected Poems and Prose by Christina Rossetti

Collected Poems by Langston Hughes

Where the Sidewalk Endsby Shel Silverstein

Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez

Revolutionary Letters, Diane di Prima

Concerning the Book That Is the Body of the Beloved by Gregory Orr

Rose: Poems by Li-Young Lee

A Red Cherry on a White-Tiled Floor / Barefoot Souls by Maram al-Masri

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Tell Me: Poems / What is This Thing Called Love? by Kim Addonizio

The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins (Billy Collins is THE go-to for accessible / beginner poetry in my view so I think any of his collections would probably do)

Crush by Richard Siken

Rapture / The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy

The War Works Hard by Dunya Mikhail

Selected Poems by Walt Whitman

View with a Grain of Sand by Wislawa Szymborska

Collected Poems by Vasko Popa

Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas (this is a play, but Thomas is a poet and the language & structure is definitely poetic to me)

Bright Dead Things: Poems by Ada Limón

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire,

Nostalgia, My Enemy: Selected Poems by Saadi Youssef

As for individual poems:

“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

[Dear The Vatican] erasure poem by Pádraig Ó'Tuama // "The Pedagogy of Conflict"

"Good Bones" by Maggie Smith

"The Author Writes the First Draft of His Weddings Vows (An erasure of Virginia Woolf's suicide letter to her husband, Leonard)" by Hanif Abdurraqib

"I Can Tell You a Story" by Chuck Carlise

"The Sciences Sing a Lullabye" by Albert Goldbarth

"One Last Poem for Richard" by Sandra Cisneros

"We Lived Happily During the War" by Ilya Kaminsky

“I’m Explaining a Few Things”by Pablo Neruda

"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" //"Nothing Gold Can Stay"//"Out, Out--" by Robert Frost

"Tablets: I // II // III"by Dunya Mikhail

"What Were They Like?" by Denise Levertov

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden,

"The Patience of Ordinary Things" by Pat Schneider

“I, too” // "The Negro Speaks of Rivers” // "Harlem” // “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

“The Mower” // "The Trees" // "High Windows" by Philip Larkin

“The Leash” // “Love Poem with Apologies for My Appearance” // "Downhearted" by Ada Limón

“The Flea” by John Donne

"The Last Rose of Summer" by Thomas Moore

"Beauty" // "Please don't" // "How it Adds Up" by Tony Hoagland

“My Friend Yeshi” by Alice Walker

"De Humanis Corporis Fabrica"byJohn Burnside

“What Do Women Want?” // “For Desire” // "Stolen Moments" // "The Numbers" by Kim Addonizio

“Hummingbird” // "For Tess" by Raymond Carver

"The Two-Headed Calf" by Laura Gilpin

“Bleecker Street, Summer” by Derek Walcott

“Dirge Without Music” // "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“Digging” // “Mid-Term Break” // “The Rain Stick” // "Blackberry Picking" // "Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney

“Dulce Et Decorum Est”by Wilfred Owen

“Notes from a Nonexistent Himalayan Expedition”by Wislawa Szymborska

"Hour" //"Medusa" byCarol Ann Duffy

“The More Loving One” // “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W.H. Auden

“Small Kindnesses” // "Feeding the Worms" by Danusha Laméris

"Down by the Salley Gardens” // “The Stolen Child” by W.B. Yeats

"The Thing Is" by Ellen Bass

"The Last Love Letter from an Entymologist" by Jared Singer

"[i like my body when it is with your]" by e.e. cummings

"Try to Praise the Mutilated World" by Adam Zagajewski

"The Cinnamon Peeler" by Michael Ondaatje

"Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself" by Paige Lewis

"A Dream Within a Dream" // "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe (highly recommend reading the last one out loud or listening to it recited)

"Ars Poetica?" // "Encounter" // "A Song on the End of the World"by Czeslaw Milosz

"Wandering Around an Albequerque Airport Terminal” // "Two Countries” // "Kindness” by Naoimi Shihab Nye

"Slow Dance” by Matthew Dickman

"The Archipelago of Kisses" // "The Quiet World" by Jeffrey McDaniel

"Mimesis" by Fady Joudah

"The Great Fires" // "The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart" // "Failing and Flying" by Jack Gilbert

"The Mermaid" // "Virtuosi" by Lisel Mueller

"Macrophobia (Fear of Waiting)" by Jamaal May

"Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong" by Ocean Vuong

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

I would also recommend spending some times with essays, interviews, or other non-fiction, creative or otherwise (especially by other poets) if you want to broaden and improve how you read poetry; they can help give you a wider idea of the landscape behind and beyond the actual poems themselves, or even just let you acquaint yourself with how particular writers see and describe things in the world around them. The following are some of my favourites:

Upstream: Essays by Mary Oliver

"Theory and Play of the Duende" by Federico García Lorca

"The White Bird" and "Some Notes on Song" by John Berger

In That Great River: A Notebook by Anna Kamienska

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

"Of Strangeness That Wakes Us" and "Still Dancing: An Interview with Ilya Kaminsky" by Ilya Kaminsky

"The Sentence is a Lonely Place" by Garielle Lutz

Still Life with Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty

Paris, When It's Naked by Etel Adnan

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Harry/Draco Fluff Masterlist | fics with less than 5k words

long story short: my masterlist page is broken because I’ve maxed out the length of it because I have recc’d too many fics. So I’m taking a page out of @wizardingworldlibrary ‘s book and making masterlist posts which you can find and be directed to on the updated masterlist page. They will contain every fic ever recc'd on this blog, but will be searchable based on ship, genre, length, among other things.

last updated: 09/17/24 | links last checked: 09/17/24

A Fluffy Little Olive Branch by JulietsEmoPhase [T, 4k]

Harry comes into work one day to find a box with a baby owl inside sitting on his desk, and a note from a mystery well-wisher.

*Code-Cracking For Gryffindors by Saras_Girl [T, 4k]

Harry should know better than to conceal mysterious body art from dorm-mates who pay no heed to what happened to the cat.

*Come as You Are by peachpety [E, 3k]

If asked, Harry Potter would categorize his high school senior year as normal: football, friends, and one devastating crush on his tutor, Draco Malfoy. When presented with an opportunity to help Draco, Harry rises to the occasion. Unfortunately, so does his dick. Sparks fly and alarms blare… and the Hogwarts Owlz Gossip twitter feed blows up. Or: the one where an inconvenient erection brings them together.

Cookies and Kisses by bettydice [E, 1k]

Harry is baking christmas cookies and Draco really can't take this anymore.

*Draco L Malfoy (The L Stands For Legs) by StarQuesting [E, 1k]

Harry could spend the rest of his life in the embrace of Draco Malfoy’s legs. If he was lucky, he would.

*Draco's Emotional Uprising by XxTheDarkLordxX [T, 3k]

“For the love of—really Draco? Artificial leather?” The horror in his father’s tone was amusing. “You have money, use it. And what’s with the color scheme? Is that—oh Merlin it is—floral print? This is worse than I thought. You need to move back home. Clearly allowing you to venture out on your own was a mistake.” “I’m an adult,” Draco yelled, still laying on the ground, not bothering to care enough to move. He had chosen his furniture knowing it would haunt his parents. Petty spite did wonders for the soul Revenge, friendship, and a surprising romance kindle after Draco experiences a recent breakup. He just wants to discover who he is, and maybe the knowledge was there all along.

*everything he is by vityenka [G, 1k]

It's almost like a surprise when Harry pads into the kitchen that morning after and sees him standing at the window above the sink.

Happy Halloween! by SereneFreakGeek [T, 3k]

Harry and Draco have been dating for about a year now when their friend Luna has invited them to a Halloween party! What could possibly go wrong? (sequel to Care For Me)

Harry Potter and the Incredibly Organized Personal Assistant by megyal [T, 2k]

Harry Potter's new assistant is snarkily organized.

Hold My Hand by bafflinghaze [M, 3k]

Harry has been with Draco for a number of years now. So when Draco gets injured, Harry has to storm St. Mungo’s.

Keep You Close (Keep Me Safe) by bafflinghaze [E, 2k]

After a long day, Harry comes home knowing Draco will take care of him.

*love me now (touch me now) by swisstae [G, 3k]

Harry's never had a bath. Draco plans on changing that. OR in which Harry gets his hair washed and Loves It (and Draco. He loves Draco too.)

Meeting The Guardians by jlpierre [T, 3k]

Will Draco meeting the 'Dad's', Sirius and Remus, go down well for Harry?

*Patronus by drarrily-we-row-along [T, 1k]

“Calm down? Calm down?! Pansy, you recall that I have a dark mark don’t you? The final is half of our grade! I’m going to fail.” “You’re not going to fail,” she informed him calmly. “You’ll learn Draco, you have over three weeks.” “But I’m an ex-death eater,” he whispered, as though anyone could ever forget. “Death eaters can’t cast a patronus, you know that.” “That’s not true,” a voice behind them piped up, making Draco jump. “For Circe’s sake, Potter, stop sneaking around,” he grumbled. The other boy shrugged, “Sorry,” he said unrepentantly, “Couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying.” Draco rolled his eyes, “Oh, you just couldn’t help it, huh?” He flicked a careless grin at Draco, his dimple showing, and as always, Draco didn’t know quite what to do with that. “I’m just saying that death eaters could cast a patronus.” “How would you know?” Draco asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Snape could cast one, and Merlin knows that you did far less horrific shite than he did,” Potter replied as he sauntered past them and into the common room. “I could help you, if you want,” he called over his shoulder before walking out of view.

Pomegranate Seeds by Lomonaaeren [M, 1k]

Harry and Draco are having fun planning their futures together. And making obscure mythological references.

Problems in Tying by fuxked [G, 1k]

"Well, considering I switched our ties on purpose, I'd hardly say you're going to make me do anything I don't already want to." "You what?" Or the classic tie swap one shot nobody asked for.

Real Texts by Affectiion [G, 2k]

Kingsley has decided all his Aurors need muggle mobile phones. Draco has finally learned how to use his, and gets a hold of Harry's number.

Ron Weasley: Accidental Matchmaker by Phoenix_Waves [T, 2k]

"There's not a sexual tension out there that the man can't accidentally detect!" George beamed. "And then ask the stupid arse question that's going to light the spark and fan the flames." Lee added matter-of-factly. A fluffy Christmas one shot featuring our favorite older Gryffindors.

Spin the Wand by WrittenSins [T, 2k]

In the spirit of inter-house unity, the eighth years have a small party. In an attempt to get Harry and Ginny back together, Hermione and Ron come up with the plan of a rigged game of Spin the Wand, but not all goes as planned.

The Talk by WolfstarPups90 [M, 1k]

Sirius and Remus think it's time they give Harry "The Talk" when they find he's been sneaking out at night to see someone special.

*The Worst Plan He's Ever Had by gnarf [G, 3k]

“I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend until valentine's day is over. I detected at least three hexed objects in my mail and five attempts to poison me with love potion this week and I'm sick of it.” “To be—your boyfriend?” Malfoy's voice stuttered and Harry braced himself for the punch he was expecting. But it never came. Instead— “Fine. I'll do it.” Harry couldn't believe his ears. “Just like that?” “Yes Potter, just like that."

They Don't Know About Us by weasley_bee [G, 1k]

Harry and Draco are in a secret relationship. When they are both invited to Ron and Hermione's house for dinner, will they give the game away?

Welcome to the Family by Jencala [M, 2k]

Remus turned to face his husband. “Your godson is engaged to a Malfoy. He’s used to the finer things in life and I, for one, would like to make sure this dinner is not only pleasant, but that he knows we are not peasants.” Sirius barked a laugh. “So the truth is, you want to show off for the little bugger!”

you've got something on your neck by liliette [M, 4k]

when will harry not have something on his neck?

*denotes personal favorites

[brewstersbru]

Hey folks have some huskerdust !! 🕷️♥️

“I know, I know Legs. I just need to ask you something.” Angel’s eyes scrunch closed and the rest of his expression crumples as he whines out, short and low. Husk hovers his hands over the mottling of bruises and cuts that litter his torso, some still sluggishly bleeding. He itches to bandage them up, but stays himself with the sobering thought that Angel is used to guys touching him when he’s unconscious.

“Angel.” He tries again. Angel shakes his head minutely. “-on’t wanna.” He whines.

“Look at me please? I just want to check that it’s okay that I touch you. You know it’s important to me.”

Angel, with a long, juddering sigh, pulls himself from the cusp of sleep and blinks his eyes open. He frowns, glaring a little as he yawns into his hand. Husk waits patiently at his side, knees beginning to ache with being pressed against the hard wooden floor for so long.

“I told ya I don’t care what you do when I come back doped out like this, Whiskers. Not like I’ll remember it. Hah!” His laugh comes out rough, like it hurts to push from his lips. Husk shakes his head.

“And I told you it doesn’t matter if you’ll remember it or not. I’m not going to be another man who takes advantage of you.” He says, carefully enunciating each word so the message gets through.

Angel curses and flops over onto his side which draws his face infinitely closer to Husk’s own. He meets his eyes with a burning, lidded gaze. Husk keeps his posture relaxed, but his tail puffs at the sudden movement.

“Yer a softie, Husk. I don’t think ya could take advantage of me if you wanted to.” The words are coupled with a rickety, slapped on grin. Husk desperately wants to just shake him until he gets it through his big thick head that that’s not the point. It doesn’t matter what he thinks, it matters what he wants. Does he want Husk touching him after an abusive, grueling shoot? That’s what Husk’s asking, not if he ‘trusts’ him. He sighs.

“You didn’t answer my question. Can I touch you? Just give me an answer and then you can go back to sleep. God knows you’ll be needing it.” And it’s true. Who knows what Val has in store for him tomorrow? He’s better off getting all the rest he can get, while he can.

Angel appraises him with a long, considering look. There’s a lot going on behind his eyes and though Husk is aware of the fact of it, he can’t begin to try to fathom what exactly his thoughts are in this moment. He simply sits back on his heels and awaits his verdict. Every so often his eyes are drawn down to the mess of Angel’s torso. It’s not an intentional thing, but he can feel his hackles rising with the need to Fix It. Husk crushes the feeling down.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity but in reality couldn’t have been longer than five minutes, Angel closes his eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah Husk, you can.” He says, voice as small as Husk thinks he’s ever heard it. It’s strange to hear him so soft when usually he overtakes rooms with booming confidence; he even looks small, now, tucked into himself and using all of his arms to hug himself close as he hunches over.

He doesn’t- maybe he can’t- look at Husk when he speaks. Husk takes the words for the olive branch that they are and nods.

“Okay. Thank you, Angel. S’ all I needed.”

Angel just nods, curling further into himself for a moment before abruptly turning onto his back and feigning sleep. They both know he’s awake- he’s not snoring as loudly or as endearingly as he would if he truly was asleep- but Husk doesn’t call him on it, just reaches down to the first aid kit he’d dragged over in his initial protective rage and starts unpacking the necessary materials. Alcohol (not the fun kind), gauze, tape, and Angel’s preferred- though he’d never tell you it- heart-patterned bandages.

Another glance at Angel’s stiffly unmoving form reminds him that he hadn’t even had time to remove his makeup before passing out from exhaustion. Smears of glittery pink decorate his eye sockets, smudged from what Husk can only assume were punishing bouts of sweat and exercise. Husk pushes down the surge of indignation this thought elicits and smooths Angel’s hair back, thumbing for a moment near his hairline, before standing.

“Be back in a sec. Forgot something.” He keeps his voice low, tries for soothing but probably achieves something more like a dying wood chipper. Angel- who had up until that point been tightly coiled, as if expecting a blow- eases into the cushions at the sound. He hums, “Mmk. Thanks.”

Husk doesn’t respond lest Angel figure out from the cadence of his voice that Husk doesn’t need to be thanked. That he wants to do this. That he likes it.

It’s just- Angel always looks so at peace in these moments. The usual tension in his body melts away leaving nothing but the rawest and purest version of him. Husk loves that version of him, and he loves that Angel trusts him enough to show him it.

Husk returns after a minute or two with a pack of makeup wipes, Angel’s preferred brand, that he’d bought not too long ago precisely for moments like this. Angel was always complaining about glitter getting into his eyes when he forgot to take his makeup off and Husk saw an opportunity to Fix It. There’s not a lot in Angel’s life that Husk is able to help with, but this is something. And he jumped at the chance.

Angel is snoring lightly, right back at the cusp of oblivion that Husk had so heartlessly torn him from before. He sniffs and turns toward Husk when he settles back at his side, curling slightly into his warmth. Husk can’t help the smile that infects his features at the movement.

With careful, callused fingers, Husk begins to dab at the cuts on Angel’s torso. He’s not sure how to feel about the fact that Angel only flinches at the initial sting, not the rest of the painful swipes. It speaks to a depth of experience with this kind of thing that Husk vehemently dislikes the thought of Angel having to go through. Sure, in theory he knows Angel’s been subjected to this bullshit for decades, but to see it spelt out like this? So clearly and heartbreakingly? Husk has to take a moment between cleaning and bandaging the wounds to collect himself.

Angel whines when he takes his hands away.

“Easy. Easy, Legs.” He wants to call him ‘baby’ but isn’t convinced enough of Angel’s unconsciousness to chance it. Angel huffs.

The rest of the bandages go on easily enough, with minimal protests from Angel- which, somehow only seem to occur when Husk pulls away- and Husk smooths a healthy amount of bruise cream on each of Angel’s visible bruises. He’s almost certain there are more hidden beneath the- admittedly skimpy- clothing Angel is wearing, but is unwilling to undress him like this.

Pulling the surprisingly fluffy throw blanket from the back of the couch, Husk drapes it over Angel’s form, smoothing the sides down and tucking his arms beneath its warmth so he doesn’t wake up cold.

Husk is methodical in his cleanup of the first aid supplies, drawing each movement out so that he has more of a reason to stay in the room. To look at the rare smooth openness of Angel’s expression.

Once finished, he sets the kit to the side and picks up the makeup wipes, pulling one from the pack and pinching it between his pointer and thumb as he leans over Angel’s face. He moves one hand to cup his cheek, and the other to begin swiping lightly across Angel’s left eyelid.

Angel flinches a little at the unexpected contact, eyelids fluttering as his expression scrunches, disrupting the smooth peace Husk had so adored. It strikes something sore within Husk to watch.

“Hey. Hey, you’re okay, Baby. I’m not gonna hurt you. Go back to sleep.” The ‘baby’ slips out, Husk just can’t filter his words as carefully when Angel is so close, and so clearly hurting.

Angel’s expression smooths at the sound of his voice, at first fractionally, then all at once. It’s a gift to witness.

He leans his cheek further into Husk’s hand and Husk, unable to curb the small chuckle that bursts from his chest at the sight, smooths his thumb underneath Angel’s newly cleaned eye.

This is perfect. If life was fair and they were free this could be their normal, their everyday intimacies, indulged in unrestrained bliss. Husk allows himself to live in the thought for a moment before moving to clean Angel’s other eye.

He doesn’t flinch this time, simply sinks into Husk’s hand as it cradles his face and tips his right side towards him. Husk lets his fingertips linger against smooth, cool skin as he works. Swiping tenderly with each pass, as if Angel were something worth treating carefully.

Husk finishes his work without fanfare and, with an indulgent, lingering press of his lips to Angel’s warm forehead, he stands.

Only to nearly keel over when he meets Angel’s own, lidded- but OPEN- eyes.

“FUCK!”

Angel laughs, but it’s small and syrupy. Real.

“Thanks, Babycakes.” He offers, reaching his arms above his head in a stretch before settling back, deeper under the covers. “You sure know how to treat a guy. Careful what you offer, though, okay? Might end up with a junkie on your ass if it's too sweet.”

Husk understands what he’s really trying to say and shakes his head.

“Any time, Angel.”

[yellowbunnydreams]

Do you need some Vitamin D? (Incubus! William x Oblivious! F! Reader) [Part 6]

~Thank you all for your support on the last chapter! The amount of thirst I have seen for Monster William's fluffy chest is insane, but I get it entirely~

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

@ruh--roh-raggy @xp-doggy @redbunny03 @marigold-petalz @seviliet @astinkerofarat @iamnotwiddle @imtiredshow

CW: 18+ MINORS DNI. Fluff, age gap (Reader 20's - William Afton 40's(?)), teratophilia, meet-cute, punny pick-up lines, scenes of working out, minor porn-logic, ditzy! reader, could be classed as bimbo! reader?, size-difference, flirting, monster-lover, sexual innuendos, Monster! AU

Working out your shift had left you feeling constantly on edge. Monsters existed, they really existed and both of your bosses were part of it. Worse, you had a crush on the one boss you were living with and he was an eight feet tall bunny monster, incubunny, Lagomorphic Incubus, whatever he was. You felt like your day could only get worse if your best friend decided to announce they were secretly a skeleton in disguise or some other strange thing.

William had been waiting for you when you finished work, tapping his foot against the concrete of the parking lot and looking up at you as soon as you left the door. He seemed to be lost in thought too, and you hadn't seen much of him or Henry for most of the day, although you were partly grateful for that.

"Do you...need a ride back?" He offered, adjusting his glasses as those familiar grey eyes stared back at you. He was human, for now, and you supposed that he needed to be so to drive his car. Not that the thought of the giant rabbit crammed into the driver's seat of the car like it was a drunk adult in a kid's toy wasn't amusing, but you needed a little more time to accept and adjust to the sudden shift in reality that you'd experience in a singular day.

"It'd be a bit awkward if I didn't, wouldn't it?" Earning a chuckle as he unlocked the car and waited for you to slide into the passenger side first, feeling the car dip under his weight as he climbed in too and started the engine. His silver eyes flickering to your uncertain face before settling on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot. You were still so cute to him, even when he felt guilty for tearing your world apart as you knew it.

There was a long pause of silence as neither of you particularly wanted to break the silence that had settled over you. His fingers drumming along the steering wheel before he reached into a pocket and fished out a wrapped candy, offering it to you without taking his eyes off the road. You pursed your lips, contemplating the metaphorical olive branch before carefully taking it and unwrapping the sweet treat. Popping it between your lips and watching William do the same from the corner of your eye. Watching his salt and pepper hair fluttering in the breeze as he cracked open a window and let the cold air into the car whilst you drove, much to your discomfort at the cooler temperature.

"So...have you always been..." You struggled to find the words, not quite sure what to say. Was it impolite to call him a monster? You weren't sure you could say the long winded name of what he was every time you referred to him.

"A monster? Yeah. Born it, gonna die it too one day." Your eyes snapped to him at the dark comment.

"Don't say that. I don't want to think about you dying." You murmured, making William raise an eyebrow in return but he simply exhaled through his nose, gripping the steering wheel tighter for a moment as he crunched on the candy he had been trying to suck on. Watermelon, it wasn't his favourite, but the sugary rush was what he was really after.

"But to answer your question, I have always been this way. Same goes with Henry before you ask, and his wife too, and obviously Charlie, their daughter." He explained, running his thick fingers through his greying hair as he wondered how he was going to ease you into it all when you'd already been thrown at the deep end.

"How did you know he was..."

"We can sense each other. It's like...an inbuilt radar? We can't tell what, or even directly who a lot of the time, but we can sense it, and we tend to congregate because we know that there are others we can trust to be ourselves around." You thought on his reply for a moment, staring at the suburban landscape of Hurricane rushing past before you bit your lip, turning your head to face him again.

"So...You...being you...Does that mean you trust me?" You asked, looking up at the older man curiously as his soft gaze flickered to you and back.

"No, I-I mean yes! No! No. Ye-" He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his cheeks colouring even under his stubble as his knuckles gripped white on the steering wheel for a moment, you noticed his nails had gotten longer and sharper once again, although he didn't seem to notice at all. "It's complicated. Yes, I trust you, you're a good employee and I wouldn't trust just anybody to stay at mine in their time of need. No, I didn't mean to trust you with...this...I slipped up, admittedly."

His efforts to soothe over his fumbling had worked, and you felt a little relaxed, if for some reason a little sad that he didn't trust you to keep such a big secret. But you understood, it was something life altering, and you were you, and he was...Frightening wasn't the word to use anymore, not now you'd been given a chance to see him up close and personal and give him a hug. It had definitely been the right call to ask you to give him one, you felt like you could have melted from the little bit of softness that his monstrous form seemed to pick up, wondering if his fur was really as soft as the fluff around his neck and face made him look.

"Would it be okay...if I looked like...that...around the house more?" He asked, flickering eyes watching you as he caught sight of his exit and indicated to pull in. Wanting to clear the air as much as he could in the short period of time you had before you were back at the house.

"As long as..you're comfortable with me seeing you like that?" You replied, questioning him in return. Watching his nose twitch in a manner that you had never even considered before, but now looked incredibly rabbit like.

"Bunny, I couldn't hide anything from you if I tried anymore. You were willing to leave town to hide what I am from everybody, you could see anything your heart desired as far as I care." Chuckling lowly as he watched a subtle flush creep up your cheeks, a small humm of thought coming through that seemed much more like a squeak. He meant it, you would be able to see any part of him you wanted, touch any part of him you wanted. Realising you would run to protect him was only making the monster more obsessed with you.

And you didn't mind the thought of seeing your hot boss either. Wondering if it was weird of you thought of his monster form as hot too.

As you pulled down the gravel driveway, you hit a bit of a pothole and William's hand shot out to protect you from jolting forwards despite your seatbelt. Looking down at his arm, you noticed that it had changed, coated in thick fur, the nails sharper and longer again, fingers longer and thicker, feeling the squishiness of rough pads along his fingers and palm pressing into your upper chest. Your heart beating rapidly beneath his touch as you turned crimson. William turned his head to look at you before realising where he was touching and secondly, that he had partly turned.

"Sorry." Pulling back his arm and shaking it out, you blinked and it was back to his normal self. Although which was the normal version and which was the mask, you were unsure of. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was just a pothole, you didn't need to fluff-out to protect me from it, you know?" Deciding that if you were going to live with the rabbit man, you might as well try to get comfortable with the fact. Watching as William looked at you and tried not to smile as he raised an eyebrow.

"Fluff-out?"

"Well, that's what I'm going to call it from now on. Do you have a better name for it?" Raising an eyebrow right back at him, watching the older man snickering to himself as he shook his head. Placing one hand against his mouth to try and disguise how much it amused him, but failing as his shoulders began to shake. "What?"

"Sorry bunny, of all the things I thought you might do if you found out about me, beginning to make your own terms up that sound far too adorable wasn't on my list."

"Then how about we call you 'incubunny' instead of spending five minutes on saying what you are each time?"

William couldn't help it and finally burst out laughing, the deep bassy laugh passing through you and making you smile with pride at making him laugh. Pulling up enough in the drive to make sure any visiting cars wouldn't be hindered as he reached over and gently ruffled your hair, lingering over it as he smiled lopsidedly at you.

"That nickname is firmly yours to call me, little bunny. I'll be your incubunny for as long as you want me to be."

William had become busy in the workshop in the basement that afternoon, and he had asked you to go out and grab some things from the supermarket for him since he was going to zone out and forget otherwise.

The shopping list seemed wild and varied, listing bags of candy, to cigarettes, to bags of apples and some walnuts, the list was rather an eclectic mix of items that you weren't sure how he managed to live on but you supposed that maybe he didn't need to eat in the same fashion you did since he wasn't human.

You decided to swing by your old apartment whilst you were out, since it wasn't a long walk from the supermarket. Heading up the worn out concrete stairs, you wondered if any of your stuff had gone missing since the door was unlockable and broken and it wasn't like you had been there to stick the hallway table in front from the inside to prevent anybody just opening it up. As you reached your floor however, you paused as you noticed that the door seemed to be entirely missing.

Moving forwards, you peered into the space and felt your heart sinking through your stomach as you saw that everything had been stripped out, even the flooring was beginning to be removed. All the precious things that you had collected since you ventured out on your own, gone.

"May I help you?" A raspy voice spoke behind you, making you gasp and jump, spinning around and tripping over your own feet, a thin hand shooting out to grab onto your arm and prevent you from falling. "Be careful...Wouldn't want you hurting yourself."

You looked at the person who had snuck up on you, and you paused. He was tall, but unlike William, he was slender and scrawny looking. His skin almost greyish with how pale he was, dark eyes wild and darting, the smile was crooked and showed gapped and crooked teeth and it didn't quite reach the rest of his angular face. Cheeks gaunt like he didn't eat much, but you were surprised by the grip strength behind the almost bony hand.

"I um...I came to see if my stuff was still here." Your voice sounded weak for some reason, swallowing hard as your heart raced and the stranger's eyes darted like he couldn't focus on one thing individually for a moment before becoming hyper focused on you once more. Another smile, the grip easing up, allowing you to feel how cool his skin was against your arm.

"My bad then," He shrugged his shoulders, listening to him, you could finally place a bit of an accent on him. Faded out British, like he hadn't been around his own accent in a long time. "You must be the young lady who lived in the apartment with the broken door.

"Yeah...Look, clearly there's nothing here for me, my landlord must have thrown my stuff out already, I just-"

"Of course, you were issued an eviction notice. Your stuff is all quite safe, I assure you, sugar." Clicking his tongue for a moment, he moved his weight back onto his heels and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. The baggy black t-shirt making it look like he had just gotten off of work and barely begun to change when you arrived. The nickname made you blush, but something about the lazy, raspy way that this man spoke made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

"Oh?"

"Right, yes, I need to introduce myself. I'm Dave Miller, your new landlord. I went over the paperwork your...previous...landlord left, and I must say...you are owed a great deal of compensation for the way you've been treated." There was something of a purr under the roughness of his voice, something that whispered that you should listen to what he had to say. But there was still an intense distrust in your gut as he held out his hand to shake, gripping your hand firmly before catching you off guard and bringing your hand to his lips. The kiss felt wet and cold, making you cringe a little externally as well as internally.

"I am?" You asked, making Dave chuckle as he released your hand and watched you awkwardly draw it back to yourself.

"Of course! Evicting you without the proper notice, not the mention, the plethora of issues that you've reported that haven't been fixed. As soon as I noticed the broken door, I packed up your things and put them into the storage unit beside my apartment on the top floor." He said, gesturing up the stairs before coming closer and placing a slender hand on the middle of your back, guiding you towards the front door to your old apartment to look inside.

"That's very kind of you, Mr.Miller." Dave chuckled as you addressed him so politely, and you swore that you felt his fingers brush your hair as he stood just behind you to let you look inside.

"Please, call me Dave, sugar. As part of your compensation, you're being given the largest flat on the top floor, we're going to be neighbours!" There was that purr again, and you felt your heart picking up speed in..excitement? You felt confused, why were you excited about being neighbours with a man you had only just met. Your gut twisted over itself deep inside of you as you avoided looking at that crooked smile.

"Thank you Mr....Dave. That is very kind."

"It's no worries, really. It will be nice to have such an upstanding citizen around whilst we renovate the building."

"Pardon?"

"Oh right, of course you wouldn't know. Most of the tenants...left...with the last landlord's...retirement... and so I've taken the opportunity to spend some funds and rennovate the place to a much higher standard. There will be tennants moving into some of the flats that didn't need much renovation in the next few weeks." He explained idly, stepping into your old space and kicking a floorboard, you noticed he was wearing well worn out boots. Wondering whether he had been doing some of the work himself.

"So..I can swing by in the morning and pick up the key to my new place?" You asked, feeling a little disoriented, the way he spoke was soothing, yet put you on edge at the same time. You couldn't quite describe the feeling.

"I'm not much of a morning person, although you are free to call me anytime, darling. I'll give you my number, and I'll text you when your key is ready. It should be another couple of days, unfortunately." Sighing softly, you felt a wave of melancholy surrounding you, blinking rapidly as you wondered why you were so swept up in the way the raspy, British man spoke. Perhaps he was simply one of those speakers?

Something in the back of your mind warned you to be careful.

He ran his hands through his dark hair, which you noticed was a little greasy, giving you a smile before he shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a flip phone from his back pocket, fingers moving with incredible dexterity as he pulled up his contact information and showed you the number. Waiting for you to pull out your phone and add it in, his eyes darting about as you stood in front of him, observing every little movement and detail about your phone. He had found that somebody phone said a lot about them.

"Excellent!" Snapping the phone shut as soon as you were done, making you jump, Dave only grinned as he looked down at you. His expression barely wavering as his eyes focused intently on you once again, unnervingly still. "Guess I'll be seeing you, neighbour."

"Nice to meet you Dave." Slipping past his skinny body and having to brush slightly against him to do so, your heart pounding in your ears as you made your way carefully down the stairs. Looking up as you made your way down and seeing Dave leant against the bannister, head cocked to one side, still smiling.

"The pleasure is all mine, sugar. I can't wait to hear you again." Dissapearing back over the railing and leaving your sight finally. You felt like a weight had suddenly left your chest that you didn't realise had been there, breathing a little ragged as you began to speed walk to the supermarket. You didn't even realise there was something strange in what he'd said as you made the walk to the store.

There was something strange about your new landlord, you just couldn't quite put your finger on it.

When you got back to the house, you found William asleep on the couch. Although you had to do a double take at the massive rabbit man spread out on the too large couch, which now made a lot more sense seeing it in context.

His glasses balanced precariously on his flat nose, head laid over one arm of the couch and his legs occasionally twitching. He had put on a large, large t-shirt and what you thought might have been sweatpants in his human form, but looked more like capris in his monstrous state. Lightly snoring as he hugged a pillow to his chest, clearly taken from his bed and brought down. You wondered how much of a nap he had needed, but the image made you smile. Even as you caught sight of the sharp canines in his mouth as he yawned whilst asleep, an impressive feat, watching him shuffle around to get comfy.

You'd gotten a few extra items whilst shopping, carefully tip-toeing into the kitchen and packing things away before you decided to make dinner for William. Moving quietly and quickly as you decided on roasted veggies and grilled chicken, prepping everything you needed and putting it in the oven to cook, looking over at the sleeping giant and smiling to yourself as you thought how peaceful he looked.

Wandering over to him, you set a timer on your phone to check on the food and placed it down onto the coffee table. Looking at the rabbit man curiously as he remained on his back. Trying to reach over him and cover him with the blanket, not that you were sure he needed it with the ruffle of fluffy yellowish fur that was around his neck, but his large hand reached out and gently grabbed ahold of you, making you gasp as he pulled you onto his chest. Still snoring as his thick, fluffy arms wrapped around you.

You gently tried to squirm out of his grip, but the rabbit man held you tighter for just a moment until you settled down again. Placing your head against his chest with a defeated sigh and feeling the fluff underneath the t-shirt compressing until you could faintly hear his strong heart thumping slowly in his chest.

"William..." You called softly, watching his ears twitch towards you slightly. "Wiiillliiamm." Stretching it out into almost a coo as you looked at him, incredulous as to how deeply asleep he seemed.

Resigning yourself to being cuddled, you began to relax, feeling the weight of his large hands and arms across your back was surprisingly reassuring. And you found yourself being lulled to sleep, eyes closing as he held you and made your own heart flutter excitedly.

"I appear to have caught a little bunny." His gravelly, basey voice made you jump as you opened your eyes and looked at his purple, slit pupil ones looking back curiously. Rubbing one large paw-hand over his face and disrupting his glasses into an even more precarious position.

"I-I..William! Hi! I um...You kinda...Um..." stammering and starting as you weren't quite sure how to explain what was happening, the incubus chuckled as he sat up and kept you against his chest to avoid accidentally punting you with the movement. Letting you sit back against his legs as he grinned at you a little sheepishly.

"I'm guessing you came to wake me up and I grabbed you, huh? Sorry, I thought the pillow might stop something like that happening." Rabbits couldn't blush, but the sheepish way his eyes avoided yours and how he rubbed the back of his neck gave you enough of an idea that he was embaressed.

"You knew this might happen?" Your voice almost a squeak as he chuckled, helping you to your feet and brushing bits of fluff that seemed to have gone rouge and stuck to you.

"My kind...have a penchant for physical touch. You know how sometimes you really want a hug? Dial that up so it's like a constant background noise." He chuckled, his own heart racing in his chest as he wondered whether the excuse would mask that he had secretly been awake for the past five minutes and watching you sleep peacefully on his chest. That he had wanted to kiss the top of your head and hold you there, in fact, he wasn't sure why he was making excuses. He would be moving too fast otherwise, he thought, you had only just found out this side of his existed.

"Wow so you...just kinda want to be near people all the time?" You asked, looking at the phone on the coffee table, realising only five minutes were left and wondering how long you'd been asleep for. You couldn't deny it had been the best nap you'd ever had though.

"People...no. I'm an odd one, I don't do a lot of people all at once. I'm more..private, I like..." William paused as he thought of a way to phrase it.

"You like people in small amounts?" The rabbit man shook his head as he thought some more, humming quietly.

"I prefer to focus on a very small group of friends. I'm pretty sure I've accidentally caught Henry before when I've been asleep, but I only do it to people I trust." The words came out slowly, nodding at the end looking at you and wondering if you had finally noticed how much he stared at you, if you could see how much he adored you.

"Well, I'm glad you trust me, William. I'll keep out of your way when sleeping in future." Smiling and heading to check on the food, you felt yourself banging your head against an internal wall as you sighed slightly. He'd done it to Henry, of course it was a platonic gesture rather than meaning anything. You wondered if William would ever see you as more than a trustee of his secret, now that you knew it.

William's nose twitched as he stood up, breathing deeply and frowning as he shook himself out. Rolling his shoulders and cracking various joints as he settled back into human form after a few minutes, he sniffed the air and mentally his ears pinned back.

There was something lingering on you that he couldn't identify, faint, covered by his own smell and your usual sweetness that he adored. But it felt wrong, like it wasn't meant to be there.

As the oven opened and he could smell dinner however, the thought was quickly pushed back into his subconcious, his stomach rumbling as he padded into the kitchen and watched you plate up dinner with a smile. Wondering if you could ever love a monster like him.

[gaysindistress]

Sad girl - five

summary: James has an interesting new business proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with.

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing, guns, violence (it is a mob au after all), Bucky’s smartass, John Walker being a dick, jealousy, kissing

word count: 2.5k

part 4 | series masterlist

a/n: How are we feeling about the series so far? Are we liking it? Comments, questions, concerns? Thank you for all of the love!

taglist: @missvelvetsstuff @angelsincident @spencerreidisagorgman @ goldensunflowe-r @i-have-no-life-charlie @esposadomd @reader-without-a-story​ 

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

Friday rolled around much quicker and smoother than she had anticipated. James is rarely home and when he is, he’s in his office working. Natasha’s ominous door policy turned out to be exactly what she’d thought.

“Door open means come in. Cracked open means knock and closed means go upstairs,” he’d told Doll one night during dinner. Of course, she’d rolled her eyes because the infamous Mr. Stark had the exact same policy. She did wonder if it was just a crime boss thing. 

After spending more time getting ready than she’d liked to admit, she found herself standing in the foyer now waiting for James to join her. Steve and Natasha were talking about the security detail for the fundraiser off to the side while his other men were standing statue like around them. Mr. Stark also had men around him but never this many which lead her to ponder if James was involved with even shadier things than her father. She didn’t get much more time to worry about if she would wind up kidnapped or dead because the famous sound of his expensive shoes hitting the hard floors drowned out every thought. Steve and Natasha stop their conversation, turning into good little soldiers as did the other men in the room, standing up even straighter than before. 

“Look at you, Doll,” James announces while walking up to her, admiring how the fitted black dress hugged her body.

“Finally. You took longer than me to get ready,” she huffs with annoyance and shifts under his gaze. 

His mouth opens to say something but closes when he spots the ring he gave her adorning her hand, “I see you’re wearing your ring.”

Glancing down at her left hand, she pulls it out from his view to smooth the side of her dress down. 

“Of course I am. We’re announcing our engagement, aren’t we? It would look suspicious if I wasn’t wearing it.”

Holding up his hands in defense, “Touché.”

Stealing a look at him, she curses to herself and her body’s reaction to his entirely black outfit. She flushes seeing how his shirt isn’t buttoned up all of the way, flashing glimpses of his tan chest and that stupid chain. James seems to have a habit of never buttoning his shirts entirely or just wearing V-necks and it’s starting to cause issues between her and her body. 

“Oh before I forget, I got you something,” he seems quite proud of himself as he pulls a necklace box from the inside of his suit jacket. He opens it, extending it out as an olive branch. Inside the box lays a silver and diamond ‘B’ initial necklace, damn near identical to the ‘S’ one she’d crushed days earlier. 

“You’re stupider than I thought if you think I’m wearing that,” she attempts to sound menacing but it comes off more in a defiant child-like way. 

Pushing her hair off her shoulders, he takes the necklace out and clasps it around her neck so it can find its place among the other chain and pearl necklace she never takes off. 

“Looks like you’re wearing it now, Doll, and I’ve gotta say it looks like it belongs there,” he says lowly in her ear, warm breath causing a shiver to race down her spine. Taking a step back, he replaces her hair over her shoulder and flattens the necklace down, cold fingers brushing across her warm bare skin. 

“Oh fuck…” dies on her cherry red lips. 

“Time to go, Doll.” 

“You’re lucky I don’t backhand you for that.”

With one hand on the small of her back, he ushers her out of the door and into the black SUV, “Whatever you say.”

_______________________________________________

The drive to the fundraiser is awkward, to say the least. Steve has been chuckling to himself like a schoolboy every time he makes eye contact with her through the rearview mirror and Natasha keeps slapping his arm to shut him up. James has been typing away at his phone the entire time, smiling to himself. 

‘What the hell is he smiling about?’ she finds herself thinking. 

‘Oh get over yourself. He’s definitely texting his side piece. Oh god am I jealous? Get a fucking grip! You’re not a real couple. He can fuck whoever he wants. It’s not like you’re his real wife.’

Another Steve chuckle breaks her thoughts as she shoots him the best death glare she can muster. 

‘This all fake. None of this is real no matter how heavy your ring is or have flustered he makes you. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real,’ she keeps repeating to herself because god knows she’s going to be living in Hell if she doesn’t. 

The SUV rolls to a stop in front of her father’s tower, Stark Tower. People are streaming in the beacon of power, greed, and money and she can’t help but roll her eyes. Only her father would use his blood money to host a fundraiser and lord only knows what they’re supposed to be raising money for. All she knows is that there will be enough champagne to numb any emotions and decently terrible music that she’s sure her father picked himself without the help of Pepper. Exiting the SUV, hand in hand with James, they’re immediately greeted by her helicopter stepmother and unbothered father. 

“Darling! It’s so good to see you! You haven’t returned any of my calls, I was getting worried James had stolen you away,” her father lies through his pearly white teeth. Pepper just smiles beside him, eyeing her stepdaughter’s choice of dress. 

“Well, we were a little preoccupied celebrating,” James flashes a blinding smile at both of them as he continues to guide Doll up the stairs and into the tower. 

Her father wraps an arm around her shoulders, harshly ripping her away from James and into his side instead, “Smile. Everyone is looking at you and that rock on your hand.”

Smiling through gritted teeth, she pretends her father is being loving and supportive, “Let go of me.”

“Play nice.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you put me in this situation,” she whispers back through her forced smile and pulls herself out of his grasp. Her future husband’s hand finds its way onto her back again, keeping her at his side and professing a false display of affection. 

James leads them further into the fundraiser and away from her father but only to shove her into conversation with random people to announce their happy union. The old women smile fondly at James and his dazzling smile while giving her the fakest ‘congratulations’ they can muster. Their husbands leer at her chest causing the man at her side to clear his throat and pull ever closer to him, hiding her chest in his side. 

“You’d think the ring and the necklace would be enough to scare them off,” he whispers to her at one point. 

“And you’d assume these old bitches would stop trying to get into your pants at some point,” her remark causes him to choke on his drink and her to smile. 

“Oh James baby are you okay?” she feigns concern with mischief in her eyes as he recovers. 

“I’m more than okay, Doll,” he says proudly back to her. 

The night drags on and no amount of champagne will ease the pain of sucking up to the elite of the New York crime scene. The couple’s only relief is found in making snide comments to each other and when true friends come into save them from boring conversations. 

Sam Wilson was the first one to save them from a particularly disgusting couple. James has never been so happy to see his friend’s face before. However, the pleasure doesn’t last long when he feels her stiffen next to him. 

“Are you alright?”

She bats her eyes at him when she glances up, “Oh um we should probably move. Walker is on his way over here and unless you want a fight on your hands, I suggest we get out of here.”

Nodding, James leads her to the dance floor after hugging Sam goodbye. 

Taking her left hand in his right, he leads her into a dance as Julie London’s “Sway” plays. She curls her free arm around his neck and can unfortunately feel the heat of his other hand on her hip. 

“Is your father Italian?”

“What? No. At least not that I’m aware of. Why?”

His shoulders raised, “The music would say otherwise.”

She rests her forehead on his lapel, “Oh my god, he seems to think being a criminal in New York makes him some Italian mob boss.”

His chest rumbles with a laugh, “I’m sensing a story there.”

“Don’t even get me started on what he wanted to name me. Let’s just say I would’ve been the epitome of a mob boss daughter if he would’ve gotten his way.”

“Oh, I would love to hear it.”

“Antonietta Marie Stark,” an unknown voice speaks up from behind the couple. 

James spots John Walker in his pompous glory standing too close for comfort to Doll. 

“Can I help you?” she asks, incredibly bored and vexed by his intrusion. 

 “I heard you had gotten engaged so I came to congratulate the happy couple, sweetheart,” he says with a grimy smile. 

James pulls her into his side, away from John and further into his protection, “Thank you and you’re more than welcome to leave now.”

“I’m hurt, sweetheart, you didn’t call me to tell me that you had started seeing Barnes,” Walker continues to push his luck and in turn, James’ grip around her tightens. 

“Last time I checked, I didn’t have to run things by you, John. I’m not obligated to call you about anything.”

He shakes his head, laughing, “Funny how this all happened right after your dad got into some hot water with the government and only a few months after we last fucked.”

Her jaw drops at his crass words and the sheer audacity he has to say something like that in front of her supposed new fiancé.

“It’s time for you to leave,” anger is filling James’ body as John ogles her. He waves at Steve and some of these other men. 

“Get the fuck out of here before I put a bullet in you,” is the only thing James says to John as he nearly rips Doll’s arm out of her socket and pulls her towards the bathrooms. 

Not wanting to make an even bigger scene, she stumbles to keep up with his pace and doesn’t stray from his side. She can hear John trying to excuse his behavior as Steve escorts him out of the building but it’s lost on her because there is a very angry and dangerous man dragging her across the floor. He doesn’t say a single word or even look at her when he spots an empty conference and shoves her through the door, slamming it shut. 

“Sit,” he snaps, pacing as she sits down on the table behind her.  

“Care to explain what the fuck that was about?”

Rubbing where he had grabbed her, “It’s not anything to worry about. It was in the past.”

He stops his pacing to set his harsh and demanding blue eyes on her. The anger tensed his shoulders and rolled his hands into fists. He looks even bigger than he usually does which is a feat in itself. 

“Fucking excuse me?”

“I said it was in the past. It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to decide what it’s important or not. Start talking.”

She pushes herself back further on the table as James takes long strides to stand right in front of her, crowding her personal space. 

“We went out on a few dates and slept together a few times but that’s all. We weren’t officially together and he got bent out of shape that I was seeing other people too so he does whatever he can to piss me off.”

“How many times?” 

She stares back at him, his gaze burning holes into her with anger and jealousy. 

“How many times what, James? Are you jealous of that dickhead?”

“You know what I mean. How. Many. Times?” he punctuates each word by sliding himself in between her legs and planting his hands on either side of her hips. 

“Three,” her chest starts to heave at the closeness and the overwhelming feeling of him. 

“Three times and he’s that obsessed? Oh, Doll it must be heavenly if that’s all it took,” his hot breath ghosts over the column of her neck. He dips his head to kiss the side of her neck as his hands grab ahold of her hips, pulling her against him roughly. 

“If you’d just give up and stop being so stubborn, I could make you feel so good.”

His cologne fills her senses as she lolls her back, giving him even more access to nip and lick up her neck. He laughs darkly, ghosting a hand over her side and sliding it over the back of her neck. Grabbing a fist full of her hair, he pulls her head sharply to the side, “Are you going to give up?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

The hand slides to the front and grips her throat, a signet ring digging into her skin. Her hands fly up to hold onto his shoulders as his lips descend upon hers, hungrily devouring hers. There is nothing sweet or loving about the way their tongues are fighting against each other, red lipstick swearing across her face. 

Pulling back with her bottom lip in between his teeth, he admires the way she’s breathless and fluttering her eyes open, “Life could be so much better if you belonged to me, Doll.” 

“I don’t belong to anyone and most certainly not you,” she murmurs against his lips before capturing them in another clash of teeth and tongue. 

His hand tightens around her neck, choking the soft moan that escapes her mouth despite her best efforts to silence it. The moan only spurs him on as he pulls her impossibly closer, feeling the heat from between her legs on him. Moans continue to get up caught between their lips as he absolutely devours her. Her chest is pushed against his and he can feel the brush of hers against his every time she takes a breath and at the moment it’s very rapid. Her thighs twitch around his waist and it takes everything in to not sink down to his knees and explore. 

Resting his forehead against her, he pulls away panting. She’s the first to speak. 

“Keep kissing me like that when you’re jealous and I’ll only be more stubborn,” she laughs out of breath. 

The hand around her neck shifts to cup her jaw, thumb rubbing the ruined lipstick away. James shakes his head at her statement, eyes roaming her face. 

“I’ll just have to keep you locked up in that case.”

“I’d like to see you try,” she shoves his chest and he lets her push him away so she can stand on wobbly legs. He smirks at her, shifting to a smile when she gives him a look. 

“Let me help you, Doll, can’t have people getting the wrong idea,” he teases her as he wraps an arm around her waist and they leave the conference room to rejoin the fundraiser. 

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

Listen, Rollo being a Ramshackle student and accidentally acting like a domestic couple with Yuu. I wrote about this once on my blog with my Yuusona.

Now, imagine most of the club goers grumbling that their boys don't have this kind of closeness to Yuu despite knowing her longer than Rollo has. Quasi and maybe Frollo are probably the only ones satisfied with this result

Personally, I'm not really on board the 'Rollo transfers to NRC' train. I'd prefer it if he stayed at NBC but Yuu and him are like pen pals or something like how she is with the RSA boys.

Honestly, I don't really know what happens in the Glorious Masquerade Event so I'm going to just hope that what I say makes sense to those who do know. Also, I haven't read any Rollo content and know nothing about his character so this is me just brainstorming with what I have.

The club goers aren't that fond of Rollo at first considering how he's Frollo's counterpart. Frollo is one of those villains that no one really likes not because he's not a good villain (he is an incredibly written villain) he's just not likable. Most of the villains are awful but likeably awful. He's pure evil and doesn't even have a likeable personality to back him up.

The difference between Frollo and Rollo though is that Rollo is a teenager capable of change whilst Frollo is a grown man - and Rollo hasn't killed, discriminated, or s*xually harrassed anyone. The overblot gang have shown guilt and remorse for what they've done despite their OG Disney counterparts loving the fact that they were evil and powerful so I'm going to assume that whatever Rollo does, he does feel bad afterwards so Yuu is going to be the one to extend the olive branch and show forgiveness.

When Yuu does bring him over, a hush just falls over the hall as everyone just stares at the two. Everyone knows how similar the NRC boys are to their OG counterparts so seeing the girl that they all love standing with someone who's twisted from an abusive, bigoted man who treats women like they're worse than objects. No way in hell. Esmeralda and Quasi are literally asking if she needs help as the gargoyles all just glare at this poor boy. Yuu is quick to shut down any hostility and said that he's here as a friend and since she was able to forgive and forget with everyone else she can forgive and forget with him. Okay, Yuu but he's on thin ice.

They soon get to know that despite looking like Frollo and being really repressed he's just a normal teenaged school kid that has a crush so yeah, the Hunchback of Notre Dame cast are adding him onto the list of suitors. They don't really expect him to get that far since he has to compete with NRC and a few RSA guys but they're rooting for him. The more the merrier. Frollo was against the whole shipping war to begin with ("Seriously," Hades grumbles, "why do we put up with that guy?") but it seems that he and Rollo can have a sort of normal conversation. Maybe.

Quasi bans the gargoyles from performing their song.

[mindsmade]

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐍.

what’s your phone wallpaper : some minimalist white lineart of mountains against a black bg last song you listened to : literally every artist coming by on eurovision songfestival rn sjfijs i think the last one was latvia currently reading: nothing currently, two brain cells are too tired last movie : uhhhhhhh last show : sharpe ( staring at u @lacomandante and @properbastard ) how tall are you? : 169 cm and i cba to convert that piercings / tattoos? : helix and 12 mm tunnel in my right ear, conch in my left, centre labret ( got rid of the side one ) – lmao forgot my tats: half sleeve on my right arm with a bunch of geometric patterns + a raven; olive branch on my left collarbone glasses ? contacts? : neither! last thing you ate? : i think it was a banana? hard to remember now that i can't taste anything sFSJJFD favorite color(s) : apart from grey, i like dark green a lot current obsession : nothing atm ... v upsetting to me jisdjf do you have a crush right now? : non ( and as someone who's like chronically in love, i'm happy with that LMAO ) favorite fictional character : it changes a lot but for some reason katherine pierce came to mind ... so we'll go with that 😂 last place you traveled : spain ( not counting the roadtrip back into coastal portugal )

tagged by: @valheri and @prvtocol ( thank you! )tagging: @afraidofchange / @stardustvein / @astremourante / @gunslingcr

[calronhunt]

i am always thinking about cob but now youve got me thinking about modified so like. what would the cob mains be like in the modifiedverse? what would their demon blood %s be and what emotions would they lose if they did?

oh this is so much fun....I would imagine Crushed Olive Branch in Modified Bliss verse would probably just be a sort of normal modern au with some other weird elements. Like they're really just a group of friends and junk.

However, Dominic would ABSOLUTELY be afflicted. I'm not sure how much demon blood he would have exactly but probably like?? 75-80% range. and his lost emotion would probably be like...fear. which perhaps would free of him of his insane internalized homophobia but we can only hope. Perhaps then we would have a version of Dominic that is like Academy Dom but grown up. Theron/Dominic but it's normal

Theron I think would have pretty low demon blood. like maybe 30-40% range. He wouldn't lose an emotion at that amount but he would be more susceptible to demon related illnesses. I mostly think that's how it would be because there are some families in modifiedverse who really don't want any more demon blood than necessary put into their families. But again, maybe in this society he would be under the influences of insane internalized homophobia.

Mattias, Nerissa, and Ava i think would be run of the mill average person range which is around 50%. So no lost emotions between any of them either. I think Mattias would have the same kind of role as Yuri, where he would be super into studying and learning more about demons in the world (and maybe being attracted to them).

In this hypothetical MB!COB au, I think they would all be going to college together for vastly different things and having weird relationship drama. and Perhaps Theron/Dom/Mattias have a normal fucking love triangle instead of whatever the fuck is happening in the comic. Also Dom is a lot gayer but this time it's on Purpose.

[justabadmistake]

Anakin stays out all day and then moves into 79's once it's night, taking a seat at the bar.

The bartender, always so kind to him, fixes him up with several rounds of his favorite liquors before leaving him to drink in private. He didn't seem like he was in a talkative mood tonight so that's alright. She'll just keep an eye on him.

Anakin drinks until about two in the morning before he gets up, leaving the bartender a hefty tip as he exits the building. When he feels incapable of making it back to the Temple, he slowly goes over to the Senate building, shuffling into the lobby.

"'lyssa," he greets the girl in the lobby with a nod. "'s 'nybody still here?"

"Anakin?" She stands and comes to his side, brows furrowed, "Are- are you alright?!"

"'m just a little tipsy," he pinches his fingers together, tears burning his eyes, "And 'm sad, Alyssa. 'm really sad. And drunk and hungry. 's anybody here?"

"The Chancellor is still here," she nods, "Here..." she leads him to the lift and presses the button for the Chancellor's office, letting him lean on her as it takes them up, "It'll be okay. Maybe the Chancellor will be hungry too, sir. And you can order some food."

"M'kay." Anakin sniffles, giving her a gentle, appreciative pat on the shoulder. "Thanks."

When the doors open he shuffles out with her, giving Palpatine a wave as the man looks up from his papers.

"Alyssa," Palpatine blinks, "What's the meaning of this? Are you alright, Anakin?"

"Mm-mm," Anakin shakes his head and lays down on his couch.

"Uhm- he's- he was out drinking, sir," Alyssa wrings her hands together. "He said he was... tired, tipsy, sad, then drunk, and also very hungry."

"Oh my dear boy," Palpatine sighs, moving over and kneeling next to Anakin, running a hand through Anakin's curls. "Alright. Thank you, Alyssa. You may go home for the evening, the security will handle the lobby from here. I promise. Thank you for bringing him up here."

Alyssa nods and looks to Anakin. "I- I hope you feel better soon, sir."

As she leaves, Palpatine looks back to Anakin, blinking at the tears streaming down Anakin's face. "Darling boy, what's the matter?"

"'m really sad," he croaks out, "Just wanna lay here an' let the galaxy crush me."

Palpatine sighs softly, grabbing his data pad to order some food. "It's alright. I think you are just... a bit heavily influenced by the alcohol. Let's get some food in your belly and call your wife, then you will feel better-"

"I don't wanna call Padmé," Anakin murmurs. "Not t'night."

"Alright," he nods a little. "Well just the food for now, then."

Anakin spends the night with the man, gratefully eating the heaps of food Palpatine orders him before effectively passing out on the Chancellor's couch.

When it's finally his bed time, palpatine locks up the office and moves into his connecting bedroom, having established that recently in case he was working far too late.

He shuts the lights off and falls asleep, feeling slightly victorious that Anakin came to him for the evening.

Over the next month and a half, I try to just avoid Anakin instead of being overly spiteful, keeping all of my feelings to myself. Just so that others stop immediately shitting on Anakin with me. I’ve always ruined his reputation entirely with Jet.

When the baby comes, and I’ve gone to medical by myself since I’m a private person about this, I even extend an olive branch and call Anakin’s extension first.

[uriwoos2]

boynextdoor masterlist xikers masterlist the boyz mastelist rules for requesting 🐻 @onedoornet

about me: cream 21 any pronouns (they/them)

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[hellhunde]

This was an illustration requested on my patreon for $5! This was the illustration for September!

@/deercliff requested "Trevor and Luna shittalking the plot of Crushed Olive Branch" so I took it as more like. complaining about what's going on in their respective corners of the plot. Luna is whining about how Roman and Kiera keep fighting, and Trevor is making fun of Theron and his boy troubles!

These two don't get much of a spotlight in the story, but I love them both dearly. I'd like to imagine that they go out to a downworlder run cafe every so often to catch up. Their schedules can only align so often though, since Luna can only consistently go out at night due to her being a vampire.

[trans-het]

CoB Typology Analysis 2, Enneagram Edition

Can't sleep so I'm writing this instead LMAO as per the use' you can read Crushed Olive Branch here @crushedolivebranch !

Theron:

Theron is a bit hard to type, he comes off as a heart type due to his excessive need for approval, but I could also see him being a gut type. Gut types are the anger triad, including:

8s=Externalize their anger (outwardly angry and aggressive, confrontationl, and hates being seen as weak) 9s=Internalize their anger (inwardly angry but doesn't show it as not to cause a scene. Hates confrontation and lessens their needs to avoid it) 1s=Moralize their anger (can be inward or outward, but they need to uphold their idea of perfection which comes from their righteous fury)

I think it's pretty obvious he's a 9, 9's sin is sloth (specifically cognitive sloth) and this is shown in him HEAVILY. He doesn't really care about his own needs, minimalizing them and only thinking about others. Though I think 9 fits him to a T, I don't think gut triad does in general. He definitely is the kind of person who relies on gut instincts, but he doesn't have that much anger. 9s are still in the anger triad, meaning they ARE angry they just don't show it

As for the heart triad argument, he needs excessive approval and wants to be seen as the best, the only reason I believe that this could be wrong is because his need for approval doesn't come internally, but from external sources (his father and Dom), but I'm not too sure on this part LoL I specifically think he's a 4. 4's sin is envy, they want a sense of normalcy and feel like they don't belong. This fits him as well, he desperately craves this sense of "normalcy" that was forced onto him

So my conclusion is he's most likely a 9, specifically a 9w8 (though wings don't really matter, I don't see him as a 1 at all. He doesn't have many morals himself, but he is a protector of the weak and does use his gut instinct often, shown when he blurts out his confession to Dominic without thinking) but he could also be a 4w3? I'm not exactly sure what his wing would be, but I'm leaning towards 3 since he works hard to be a good shadowhunter, and he doesn't seem to use knowledge to cover up insecurities like a 5.

As for the tritype, I'm gonna say 946, I don't see him as either a 7 or 5 fix (not hedonistic enough to be a 7 and not as knowledge seeking as a 5).

9w8s are stereotyped as peace makers, but they know how to stand up for themselves when the time comes for it. 946s are stereotyped as anxious people who don't seem to fit into the idea of normalcy.

Examples of 9w8s include:

Sans (Undertale)

Patrick Star (Spongebob)

Jake the Dog (Adventure Time)

Shrek

Willow Park (ToH)

Examples of 946s include:

Marceline (Adventure Time)

Legoshi (Beastars)

Willow Park (ToH)

Peter Parker (Spiderman Trilogy)

Mordecai (Regular Show)

Full Type So Far: ISFJ - 9w8 - 946

Dominic:

Dominic is the most heart triad of the heart triads LMAO Heart triad includes:

2s: Need for love

3s: Need for recognition

4s: Need to be someone else

I think it's pretty obvious he's not a 4, he's too overly confident and not envious he's just. Kinda like that. As for whether he's a 3 or a 2, I think 2 is kind of obvious. 2s are often seen as the "helpful" enneagram but that's dumbing it down a lot. 2s are people who give to get, they need love and when unhealthy they full on expect it. This is shown with his entire relationship with Theron. When Theron starts spending more time with Mattias, Dom gets jealous NOT because he actually gives a shit about Theron but because he needs to be loved, and expects it even if he's acting like a little bitch LMAO.

As for the other triads, he's definitely a 7. He's not really the average appearance of a 7, but combined with his 2-dom I feel like his gluttony shows in the form of his love need. He needs to be loved by EVERYONE and the people who don't love him need to admire him for being so attractive. 7s are often egotistical hedonists, which fits him at least somewhat. I wouldn't really call him a hedonist, but he's DEFINITELY egotistical and hedonistic traits do come in the form of putting himself and his happiness first.

The gut triad is a harder subject though, I think, stereotypically, he's most like an 8, but I'm not exactly sure? He definitely shows the outward aggression of an 8, though that's in the form of passive aggression, but he doesn't have the rest of the traits. He has no lust, no motor dominance, he doesn't exactly care about excitement or needing more in the physical realm. Really, the closest reason I think for him being an 8 is that he fits the usual definition of lust to a T. He's definitely not a 1 or a 9 tho so. 8's gonna have to do LMAO

Oh I forgot wing, he's a 3 wing. Not an ounce of 1 in this man LMAO

2w3's are heavily stereotyped, and usually are stereotyped as people who are helpful purely for recognition. 278's are like. Bastards. Idk what else to say.

Examples of 2w3s from PDB:

Michael Scott (The Office)

Misa Amane (Death Note)

Monika (DDLC)

Percy Jackson

Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High)

Examples of 278s from PDB:

Aphrodite (Mythology)

Spinel (Steven Universe)

Hooty (The Owl House)

Lumpy Space Princess (Adventure Time)

Beatrice (Umineko. I am putting this one here for me. My queen.)

Full Type So Far:

ESFP - 2w3 - 278

Mattias:

Ok so. Mattias is a bit hard to type. He doesn't have the academic nature of a head type, but he also doesn't have the sensory dominance of a gut type or the accessive need for approval of a heart type. I think, out of all of these. If I had to pick one from each triad, I'd say 4, 6, and 9

4s are people who WANT to be different, they're often individualists and like to be seen as different, but this is because they're heavily envious of others. I don't really know if I see this in Mattias? It's kind of hard, he's not a person who needs to be recognized by others, he's cool being himself, so that takes 4 off the list.

6s are security and relationship oriented, he's definitely not counterphobic, so his need for security would be in developing relationships, which I think fits him best. His academy days were full of him getting into relationships, though we don't know if it's fully for security he clearly needs other people. You COULD say this fits E2 better, but he craves love doesn't need it, if that makes any sense LMAO. Pretty much, 2s live off of love because it inflates their ego, 6s need love because they want to feel safe, and I think the latter fits Mattias a bit more.

I've discussed 9, which I think fits him a bit more than 4, but I don't think it's his dominant. He's definitely conflict avoidant, but 9s are still in the gut triad, meaning they have anger and are sensory people. Mattias is the opposite of that, he's not sensory in the slightest, he even disregards sensory experiences a lot of the time. This is shown when he meets Theron, he doesn't care about training because he's scared. He values his own security and his percieved survival over what actually was happening in reality. It's used comedically, but it's also shown when he's afraid of being "fused" to the rock wall, showing how he's less realistic than a gut triad-dom would be

SO in conclusion, I think he's a 694 or maybe a 692? I'mma stick with 694 for now :P and 6w7 !

6w7s are stereotyped as analytical and anxious people with a hedonistic streak, 694 tritype was covered before, but with a 6-dom instead of a 4-dom, it'd be more focused on security and less focused on identity

Examples of 6w7s from PDB:

Sokka (Avatar)

Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Edward Elric (FMA)

Woody (Toy Story)

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)

Examples of 694s from PDB:

Killua Zoldyck (HunterxHunter) (Again LoL)

Shinji Ikara (Evangelion)

Kakashi again LoL

Charlie Brown

Alphys (Undertale)

Full type so far:

INFP - 6w5 - 694

Nerissa:

Nerissa seems like a cut and dry 1 tbh, though I think 6 would fit her better. She seems more head triad than gut triad, she doesn't really have that much anger and her perfectionism comes from external forces, not internal anger. She doesn't show much anger at all, instead she seems incredibly insecure and anxious, which is head type domain.

Her need for connections is lesser than Mattias, but she definitely uses connections for security. I mean, she ends up "dating" Dom because she wants to seem straight due to fear of homophobia, I would go into this more but I'm pretty sure the evidence I have of this is only on patreon so I'm shutting my yapper LMAO. If u know, u know.

As for her other triads, she's definitely a 1. Doesn't fit the external anger of the 8 or the internal sloth of a 9. As for heart triad, I think 3 is the only one that makes sense. She doesn't have a love need, nor is she overly envious of other people. She just wants to be the best version of herself she can be, which might come off as more 1 (since 3s are more actively looking for praise) but since it's just a fix it works imo

SO I think she's a 6w5 (didn't explain the 5 but I feel like I don't have to. She is not hedonistic at ALL) and 613

6w5s are stereotyped as anxious, but more analytical than a 6w7, and 613's are stereotyped as perfectionists with a need to be the best

Examples of 6w5s from PDB:

Bruno Madrigal (Encanto)

Killua Zoldyck (HxH)

Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)

Guts (Berserk)

Example sof 613s from PDB:

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)

Dwight Schrute (The Office)

Mako (The Legend of Korra)

Robin (Teen Titans)

Knuckles (Sonic)

Full Type:

ENTJ - 6w5 - 613

Extra Characters that are mainly vibe typed:

Ava: 9w8, definitely. Her sloth is palpable LMAO. As for her tritype, I think she's head>heart, and 7 (just wants to have some sort of fun, doesn't use analysis to cover her fears like a 6 or 5) for head type, and for heart type I'm not sure? I'm going to say 2 due to her wanting to be liked only because she doesn't show the need for achievments of a 3 or the envy of a 4

Already showed examples of 9w8s, but here's some 972 exampls from PDB: Patrick Star-Spongebob, Jake the Dog-Adventure Time, Wendy-Gravity Falls

Full Type: ISTP - 9w8 - 972

Cicero: Honestly, not sure? I'm gonna say 6, seems more anxiety prone than attention seeking or anger based. I would specifically say Head>Heart>Gut, but that's just a guess. Also typing 6w7 (also a guess) and 629

Examples of 629s from PDB: Gretchen Wieners-Mean Girls, Samwise Gamgee-Lord of the Rings, Lean Scott Kennedy-Resident Evil

Full type: ENFJ - 6w7 - 629

Roman: 8, his entire deal is questoning authority like. Classic 8. As for the rest, heart>head, 3>7(purely a guess tho :P) and 7 wing!

Examples of 8w7s from PDB: Tyler Durden-Fight Club, Anakin Skywalker-Star Wars, Gon-HunterxHunter

Examples of 837s from PDB: Zeus-Mythology, Inuyasha, Grunkle Stan-Gravity Fall

Full type: ESTP - 8w7 - 837

Trevor: Honestly, not too sure? I'm gonna say 7, he's flamboyant but has a good head on his shoulder, he likes making jokes but like a healthier 7 he knows when to take things seriously. 6-wing, no way this dude has an 8 wing LMAO. Also gut>heart, and 9>3

Examples of 7w6s from PDB: Spongebob Squarepants, Luz Noceda-The Owl House, Aang-Avatar

Examples of 793s from PDB: Ryuk-Death Note, Ryoji Kaji-Eva, Kensude Aida-Eva

Full Type: ENFP - 7w6 - 793

Kiera: I've gotten a better look at his personality (tho I still think ESTJ fits LMAO) but he's definitely an 8 imo. Definitely gut>head or heart, with heart as his second fix. He wants to be a leader and hates being seen as weak, he's scared that others don't take kindly to his leadership and takes actions to prevent that, along with not afraid of confrontation. As for his tritype, 836 fits I think

Examples of 8w9s from PDB: Darth Vader-Star Wars, Kratos-God of War, Rosa Diaz-Brooklyn 99

Examples of 836s from PDB: Kratos-God of War, Frieze-Dragon Ball, Shego-Kim Possible

Ok that's all, if this changes tones drastically it's cuz it took like. 2 weeks to write LMAO

[clanofjones]

Did Tumblr order some vent art?

No?

Well shit

this is better than therapy

Me venting but with W O R D S under the cut

for context, the crying person (obviously) is me of about a year ago. In the bottom left-hand corner, the person with half lidded eyes is my ex best friend. I did not know what was going on, and instead of correcting this, she iced me out.

So I gave her a week to get over herself.

She extended an olive branch, explaining that she needed more time.

I gave her another three, marking a month since the spat.

She then said the quotes pictured above to me. She told me that it was my fault she was avoiding our other friends, and how it should be the other way around, me alone and spiteful, and her with a supporting, understanding group of friends. This was all over text, so the physical representation is more my processing her tone than anything else.

And the worst part?

She was my best friend of nearly five years.

Even worse?

I had a crush on her. Not only was I crushing on my best friend, but said friend was toxic, and kicked me out of her life in the worst way I could imagine. It was the closest thing I've felt to a breakup, and my parents told me that it looked similar, and seemed to be a breakup in all but romantic.

It feels like basic logic, but did you know that looking at something/someone sad while sad makes you even sadder? Mirrors were kinda my enemy for a WHILE.

I've since then come to realize that she was toxic, several other things she said/did brought me to this conclusion, and I've come to terms with it, although I do wish, from time to time, that I could spend time with her again, even if she was toxic.

Thanks for reading this far down if you did- I'm approaching the anniversary of... this whole situation, so any support would be appreciated, I'm going to be in a bit of a funk during that time. First week of September, for any who might want to know.

[ao3feed-sambucky]

i can change (if it makes you fall in love)

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/42582945

by donniedont

It’s the day of the party. Bucky and Sam are walking down the street toward Natasha’s apartment and Sam looks up at the sky.

“Do you think it’s going to snow?” he asks.

“Uh, I don’t think snow was in the forecast?” Bucky replies.

Sam winces. “Dammit,” he says, “I was kinda hoping this would get snowed out.”

Bucky tosses his head back and laughs, because what else is he supposed to do?

Natasha tries to provide an olive branch to the group by hosting a half assed party. Bucky wonders if this is his breaking point.

Words: 7808, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 31 of well lit interruptions

Fandoms: Marvel (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Daken Akihiro, Bobby Drake, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, Jean-Paul Beaubier

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov, Minor or Background Relationship(s)

Additional Tags: Mental Health Issues, House Party, Crushes, Mutual Pining, Polyamory, Unsanitary Living Conditions, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Smoking, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/42582945

[jayde-jots]

Hi I really like your work, I was wondering now how Hotr, duck vs diesel stuff, the Scottish twins esp spiteful brakevan and escape with Oliver works in giant au(how would they react to giants/other giants like Thomas to which twin was a giant, I forgot my bad) Is there a giant in the miniature line if there r any and what were the ardesdale reactions? Sorry for asking a lot

I'm not sure what hotr stands for so I'm afraid I can't answer that one. As for Duck vs Diesel, Diesel is a brand new build and is brought to Sodor fresh out of the works. At first Duck doesn't like the idea of a diesel coming to Sodor, especially since Diesel's class is basically the more modern version of Duck's class, so the panniers and 08's had a few issues here and there. Things get pretty bad and before the other can go too far Thomas puts a stop to it. He separates the two with Sir Topham's permission and Diesel goes to work at the quarry on Thomas's branch line. Diesel doesn't mind Thomas or other giants, he was born in a generation where giants are common after all. Originally Donald came to Sodor by himself, but he was always looking up and around wherever he went, almost like he was keeping an eye out for something. And ever since his arrival things had been going missing on the island. Some of the fish on Henry's train had been going missing, and Thomas and Glynn could sense something outside the sheds at night, and the engines could always feel the ground shaking at night whenever they had to pull a train. At some point a rouge giant came in kicking up a fuss, when Donald became in trouble from this savage who should appear out from the ocean with a mighty roar but Douglas! Douglas proceeded to almost kill the lawless giant when Thomas and Glynn stepped in and tore the two apart. It was a kaiju battle until the rouge giant fled and so did Douglas. Later on, Donald would explain who Douglas is to the others and they'd all head to the piers at Arlesbough. Donald would call for his brother and we'd get to see the twin giant of Donald the Caledonian. Eventually, Douglas would join the NWR with the support of Thomas and Glynn. As for the spiteful brake van? That wouldn't really happen since giants aren't allowed to push trains up hills for safety reasons. Oliver would be a giant on cull road (Giant death row). He'd be saved by Douglas no less and brought to Sodor to which he would be brought onto the fleet with his emotional support van Toad. Toad would be tied to Oliver's chest more than likely and be carried around by him everywhere they went. Duck and Oliver would be very close as per-usual but he would also be very close to Douglas. (Maybe developing a crush? Idk). As for if there's a giant on the Arlesdale? Yes, there will be. After Oliver visits the line Bert becomes infected and turns into a giant.